The Conversation

Trump’s offshore oil drilling push: Five essential reads

Written by Martin LaMonica, Deputy Editor, Environment & Energy Editor, The Conversation

Shell's drilling rig destined for waters off Alaska met with problems in the Arctic and protesters in Seattle.AP Photo/Elaine Thompson

This article is based on a collection of archival stories.

When it comes to energy, perhaps the only thing President Trump loves more than coal is oil and gas. Just a day shy of 100 days into his presidency, Trump is...

Is the death penalty un-Christian?

Written by Mathew Schmalz, Associate Professor of Religion, College of the Holy Cross

Kurt Morrow, CC BY-NC

Arkansas executed a fourth prisoner on death row last night. Three days prior to that, the state had done two back-to-back executions by lethal injections in Lincoln County, Arkansas. Four other executions have been blocked by court order.

As a Catholic scholar who writes about religion, politics and policy, I understand how...

Did artists lead the way in mathematics?

Written by Henry Adams, Ruth Coulter Heede Professor of Art History, Case Western Reserve University

Is there a geometry lesson hidden in 'The Last Supper'?Wikimedia Commons

Mathematics and art are generally viewed as very different disciplines – one devoted to abstract thought, the other to feeling. But sometimes the parallels between the two are uncanny.

From Islamic tiling to the chaotic patterns of Jackson Pollock, we can see remarkable...

The changing nature of sacred spaces

Written by Wendy Cadge, Professor of Sociology and Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Brandeis University

The Multi-faith Chapel at Hebrew Senior Life / Newbridge On The Charles, Dedham, Massachusetts.Randall Armor, CC BY-NC-ND

Congregational membership in the United States is slowly declining. Data from the General Social Survey show that 17 percent of Americans attended a religious gathering weekly in the 1990s. By 2010, this number had dropped to 11...

Is the paper industry getting greener? Five questions answered

Written by Gary M. Scott, Professor and Chair, Department of Paper and Bioprocess Engineering, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Plant worker at Gorham Paper & Tissue, Gorham, New Hampshire, 2015.Erikabarker/Wikipedia, CC BY-SA

Editor’s note: Arbor Day, which falls on April 28 this year, was established in the United States in 1872 as a day to plant and care for trees. To mark the event, Gary M. Scott, chair of the Paper and Bioprocess Engineering Department at...

One way Trump went big league in his first 100 days

Written by Mark Major, Senior Lecturer, Pennsylvania State University

Trump signs the Waters of the United States executive order on Feb. 28, 2017. AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

Since FDR, a president’s first 100 days offer an important – if arbitrary – measure for evaluating success. While it is unlikely any executive will again match the productivity of Roosevelt, most scholars of the presidency agree...

Should the giving styles of the rich and famous alarm us all?

Written by Leslie Lenkowsky, Senior Counsellor and Professor Emeritus of Practice in Philanthropic Studies, Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

Tech billionaire Sean Parker and his wife Alexandra Lenas Parker are among today's youngest and most ambitious donors.Rich Fury/Invision/AP Photo

In 1890, pioneer photojournalist Jacob Riis published a book, “How the Other Half Lives,” portraying the squalid lifestyles of the immigrant groups flooding into the slums of New York City. In...

Federal role in education has a long history

Written by Dustin Hornbeck, Ph.D. Student in Educational Leadership and Policy, Miami University

Though many of Thomas Jefferson's educational policies were never passed during his lifetime, they became the foundation of federal education today.Portrait by Mather Brown / Wikimedia Commons

President Donald Trump has directed the United States Department of Education to evaluate whether the federal government has “overstepped its legal...

Physics of poo: Why it takes you and an elephant the same amount of time

Written by David Hu, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Biology, Adjunct Associate Professor of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology

Defecation duration is surprisingly similar throughout the mammal world.Elephant image via www.shutterstock.com.

The ancient Chinese practiced copromancy, the diagnosis of health based on the shape, size and texture of feces. So did the Egyptians, the Greeks and nearly every ancient culture. Even today, your doctor may ask when you last had a bowel...

Would Trump's tax cut be the biggest ever? Fat chance

Written by Jay L. Zagorsky, Economist and Research Scientist, The Ohio State University

President Donald Trump has long been known for his fondness for superlatives when describing his projects and policies. His administration’s proposal for a tax cut is certainly no exception.

In a recent interview with the Associated Press he declared:

“It will be bigger, I believe, than any tax cut ever. Maybe the biggest tax cut...